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February 24, 2019

Oscars 2019: Spike Lee pays tribute to Prince on red carpet

WATCH: All the historic firsts for this year's Oscar nominees
By Emily Shapiro

Oscar-nominated director Spike Lee paid tribute to his friend and music legend Prince as he hit the Oscars red carpet on Sunday.

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Lee, wearing head to toe purple and a Prince-symbol necklace, wrote on Instagram, "I Know In My Hearts Of [hearts] My Brother Prince Is Watching Tonight, Singin’ “IT’S GONNA BE A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT’."

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Lee also threw it back to his 1989 film, "Do The Right Thing," as he held up knuckle rings reading "HATE" and "LOVE" on the red carpet.

Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
Director Spike Lee holds knuckle rings reading "Hate" and "Love" on the red carpet at the Oscars in Hollywood, Calif., Feb. 24, 2019.
(MORE: 2019 Oscars: 13 historic firsts for this year’s nominees)
"Roma" and "The Favourite" are tied for the most Oscar nominations this year with 10 each.

Lee is up for best director for "BlacKkKlansman" -- his first best director nomination in his decades-long career.

“BlacKkKlansman” is also nominated for best picture.

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